Corporators threaten to quit if Kolhapur is not made toll free

Kolhapur: The police took NCP-led Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor Sunita Raut and other corporators into custody here today, after they began protesting at the Shiroli toll post run by the Virendra Mhaiskar-promoted IRB Infrastructure.

The corporators also decided at a meeting called by Raut, that if the Maharashtra government did not make Kolhapur "toll free", then all corporators, as well as the mayor, would resign en masse.
Incidentally, on Monday, the Bombay High Court postponed hearing a petition filed against the IRB by civic activists to February 24, after the Maharashtra Government sought time to study the issue.

Maharashtra Advocate General Darius Khambata appeared on behalf of the Maharashtra government after the HC bench comprising justices A S Oka and M H Sonak mentioned that the case would have repercussions across the state.

However, while a court decision on the petition is still pending, the IRB informed the NCP-led Kolhapur Municipal Corporation and the police on Tuesday that the company would begin toll collection from Wednesday, that is February 5.
As soon as Kolhapur mayor Sunita Raut came to know about resumption of toll collection, she called an urgent meeting attended by most corporators.

After the meeting, the mayor and corporators left for the Shiroli toll post and began protests.

"We started collecting toll from 10 am at Kolhapur. We have got the necessary police protection. Toll collection will help us to improve our revenues during this quarter," IRB Infrastructure Developers Chairman and Managing director Virendra Mhaiskar told PTI today.